In the Spring, we start off by getting ready for the Ballycotton 10 and other spring 10 milers.
In April and May, we have runs geared towards those preparing for the Cork City Half-Marathon and Marathon while other members train specifically for the shorter summer races.
From July onwards, we start gearing up for the various Half-Marathons in the Autumn and the Dublin City Marathon at the end of October.
In November and December, we try to place more emphasis on beginners as we target the Belgooly 4 mile race at Christmas and get members prepared for the Ballycotton 10 training programme starting in January.
During a typical week, we have track sessions in in CIT on Tuesday and Thursday evenings between 7 and 8pm. At the weekend, we have a tempo run session as well as several medium and long runs also.
Run Types...
Tempo Run...This is a continuous run with a buildup in the middle to near your 10 mile race pace. A Tempo Run of 40 to 60 minutes would begin with 10-15 minutes easy running, run at pace for 20-30 minutes and then warm down with 10-15 minutes of easy running.
Hill Sessions...Repeat runs on a particular stretch of hill about 200-400 metres long. Helps build leg muscles and strength.
Fartlek Sessions...Taken for the Swedish word which means "speed play", this is a training method that blends continuous training with interval training. Most sessions last about an hour.
Intervals.....These are done at the track and are typically between 400m and one mile in length. The main purpose are to help improve members VO2 max so that they can race faster.
Long Runs...These will typically be 10 to 15 miles and should be 60 to 90 seconds slower than your Half-Marathon/Marathon pace. You should be able to easily hold a conversation at this pace.
Eagle AC members are kept informed about upcoming training runs by weekly e-mails.
If you are a non-member visiting the site, why not join us? It really is so much easier training for your target race as part of a group and to train properly to improve your times.
If you have any questions about the club runs or would like to lead a run yourself, send an e-mail to the following address...
For more details about joining, visit our club website.....http://www.eagleac.net
Some guidelines for the weekend training runs...
For group leaders...
• Select routes that are safe and largely free from traffic.
• Try to run at the advertised pace.
• Try to start at the advertised time.
• Consider having options for different distances on your run. e.g. Introduce a shortcut near the end or add an extra loop for those that want to do a bit more. Some people will be training for Marathons, some for Half-Marathon or shorter distances. Try to accommodate both.
• As well as the distance, try to give some indication as to how long people will be running for.
• Nobody should get left behind. Wait for the slowest runner at key points like the top of a hill or at road junctions and then re-group.
• If possible, try to give plenty of advance notice of the planned run. Reply to the weekly e-mail to get it included in the next one. Alternatively, send an e-mail to the Eagle AC mail group.
• If you are organising a run, try to avoid clashing with an existing training run. Put it on another day.
• If you want to plan a run at the last moment then press on. The list of runs on the calendar is a guide to the minimum number of runs organised. It’s not there to discourage members from organising more on their own initiative.
• Try to give a very brief description of the run. i.e. Is it hilly, flat, suitable for beginners, etc. Running an 8 minute mile at the Farm is completely different to say running that pace on the hills around Glounthaune.
For participants...
• Please arrive at the meeting point before the advertised time.
• Make sure you lock all valuables in the boot of your car.
• This is a group run! You should run at the pace determined by the person organising the run.
• If faster runners want to push themselves a bit then do so on the uphill sections but wait at the top.
• If you are a regular at the training runs, consider giving something back by organising two runs yourself.
• Select training runs that are more suited to your pace. (e.g. If you normally run at 9 minute per mile pace then a group running 8 minute miles will be way too fast for you). If you choose to run with a slower group then make sure you run at their speed, not yours. The pace should always be set by the group leader.
Long Run Pace Guidelines...
So what's the correct pace for you? As mentioned already, the pace for you should be comfortable and you should be able to easily hold a conversation with the person along side of you. This is typically 60 to 90 seconds slower than what you might run for say a Half-Marathon race.
Use the following race times to see what the pace for your long runs should be...(based on having a few hills in the run. If the route is flat then subtract 15 seconds for the pace)
5k - 18 mins, 5 mile - 30 mins, 10 mile - 1:02:30, Half-Marathon - 1:23:30........then your long runs should be at 7:15 to 8:15 per mile.
5k - 19 mins, 5 mile - 31:30 mins, 10 mile - 1:06:00, Half-Marathon - 1:28:00........then your long runs should be at 7:30 to 8:30 per mile.
5k - 20 mins, 5 mile - 33 mins, 10 mile - 1:09:30, Half-Marathon - 1:32:30........then your long runs should be at 7:45 to 9:00 per mile.
5k - 21 mins, 5 mile - 35 mins, 10 mile - 1:13:00, Half-Marathon - 1:37:00........then your long runs should be at 8:15 to 9:15 per mile.
5k - 22 mins, 5 mile - 36:30 mins, 10 mile - 1:16:30, Half-Marathon - 1:42:00........then your long runs should be at 8:30 to 9:30 per mile.
5k - 23 mins, 5 mile - 38 mins, 10 mile - 1:20:00, Half-Marathon - 1:46:30........then your long runs should be at 8:45 to 9:45 per mile.
5k - 24 mins, 5 mile - 40 mins, 10 mile - 1:23:30, Half-Marathon - 1:51:00........then your long runs should be at 9:00 to 10:00 per mile.
5k - 25 mins, 5 mile - 41:30 mins, 10 mile - 1:27:00, Half-Marathon - 1:56:00........then your long runs should be at 9:15 to 10:15 per mile.
5k - 26 mins, 5 mile - 43 mins, 10 mile - 1:30:00, Half-Marathon - 2:00:00........then your long runs should be at 9:30 to 10:30 per mile.
5k - 27 mins, 5 mile - 45 mins, 10 mile - 1:34:00, Half-Marathon - 2:05:00........then your long runs should be at 10:00 to 11:15 per mile.
5k - 28 mins, 5 mile - 46:30 mins, 10 mile - 1:37:00, Half-Marathon - 2:10:00........then your long runs should be at 10:15 to 11:30 per mile.
John Desmond...Sept 2012
